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Did you know? 2014 Midsummer Classic

Jeter cements place in ASG lore; Trout joins lofty company

7/15/14: Derek Jeter is introduced and exits his 14th and final All-Star Game to an ovation of cheers, going 2-for-2 over three innings

By John Schlegel
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MLB.com |

With the final All-Star appearance of a legendary player taking center stage at Target Field, the 2014 Midsummer Classic embossed its own unique stamp on the history of the annual exhibition of baseball's best talent.

Here are a few items of note from Tuesday's memorable action in the American League's 5-3 win over the National League:

When Derek Jeter stepped to the plate in the first inning, he became just the third player 40 years old or older to start the All-Star Game as a leadoff batter, joining Willie Mays (1971) and Pete Rose (1981).

Then, when he led off with a double, it was his first extra-base hit in the Midsummer Classic since he homered in the 2001 All-Star Game.

And when he picked up a single in his second at-bat, the 40-year-old Yankees icon became the oldest player to get two hits in an All-Star Game -- his third multi-hit Midsummer Classic. The previous oldest was Carl Yastrzemski, who was 39 when he had a pair of singles in the 1979 All-Star Game.

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Jeter finishes his career fifth in All-Star batting average among players with at least 10 All-Star at-bats with a .481 (13-for-27) mark. Jeter is second in on-base percentage at .517 to Charlie Gehringer's .655 -- both with 29 plate appearances.

With a triple and a double and a pair of RBIs, Mike Trout earned Most Valuable Player honors. The Angels' star is the 22nd outfielder and fifth in the last eight years to win the award. At 22 years, 342 days, he is the second-youngest to win it behind 1992 MVP Ken Griffey Jr. (22/236).

Trout, now 4-for-7 as an All-Star in three appearances, is the sixth Angels player to have a multi-hit game in the All-Star Game, the last being Garret Anderson, whose three-hit performance in 2003 also marked the last time an Angels player won MVP honors. Trout is the fourth Angels player to win MVP, joining Leon Wagner (1962), Fred Lynn ('83) and Anderson.

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Miguel Cabrera's home run for the American League off Adam Wainwright was the 24th first-inning homer in All-Star Game history, and the first since Boston's Manny Ramirez and Texas' Alfonso Soriano each went deep against Houston's Roger Clemens in the 2004 game at Minute Maid Park. That was a six-run first for the AL squad, which hit for the cycle in the inning.

Cabrera's homer, his first in All-Star competition, was the 13th ever by a Tigers hitter and the first since Lou Whitaker in 1986.

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In 19 regular-season starts this season, Wainwright has allowed three runs in a game only three times. He did so in one inning in the All-Star Game.

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Phillies second baseman Chase Utley reached base twice for the first time in his All-Star Game career with his first double and his first time hit by a pitch. He also collected his first RBI.

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The Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy doubled in his first two All-Star at-bats, quickly becoming one of just 39 players with more than one double in an All-Star Game career. Winfield leads the category with seven.

Lucroy's double-double marked the ninth time a player posted a pair of two-base hits, the last time coming in 2004 when Albert Pujols accomplished the feat.

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Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez (2-for-3 with a double) gave the Brewers three players with multi-hit All-Star Games, joining Ryan Braun, who went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and RBI in 2012. Lucroy and Ramirez are the first teammates with multi-hit games in the same Midsummer Classic since Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in 1998.

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Five NL doubles matched the team record, tying the AL in 1934 and 1939. Adding the AL's two, the seven doubles tie the record set in 1949 and matched in 1993.

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Max Scherzer became the fourth Tigers pitcher to earn the win in the All-Star Game, but the first in 57 years, joining Tommy Bridges (1939), Virgil Trucks ('49) and Jim Bunning ('57).

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Tuesday night's game was the first in All-Star Game history in which no pitchers threw more than one inning.

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The wild pitch thrown by Alfredo Simon in the third inning was the 50th in All-Star history. It was the second of the night, the first one coming from Felix Hernandez, marking the third consecutive All-Star Game with a wild pitch in it.

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The 62 players used set a record for a nine-inning All-Star Game, beating the 2012 total of 61.

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The American League scored first for the 43rd time in All-Star history in the 85th edition of the game. The AL is now 26-16-1 when scoring first. The team scoring first has won the All-Star Game 60 percent of the time -- 51 of 85.

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All-time All-Star Game score through 2014: National League 355, American League 249.

John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @JohnSchlegelMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.